thank you to everyone who participated in the history contest. winners will be announced on founder’s day. in the meantime, here are the answers to the history contest questions. how did you do?
1. Please name the Sigma brothers who were presidents and governors and their respective countries.
Bro. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Former 1st President of Nigeria
Bro. William Tubman, Former President of Liberia
Bro. William Tolbert, Former President of Liberia
Bro. Kwame Nkrumah, Former President of Ghana
Bro. Sir Winston Scott, Former Governor and General of the West Indies
Bro. Dr. Melvin Herbert Evans, Former Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
2. Which Sigma Brother was recognized as the first Black Certified Public Accountant to practice and which cities did he practice accounting?
Bro. W.D. Allimono; Chicago, IL & Nashville, TN
3. What is the name of the Sigma Brother who co-founded Techno music and which chapter and school did he initiate at and name his (3) most famous songs?
Bro. Kevin Saunderson
Zeta Epsilon, Eastern Michigan University
Good Life, Big Fun, & Do you love what you feel
4. Name (6) men who are not Sigma men, but are frequently mistaken as being members of our fraternity.
Karl Malone, basketball (I was told by several brothers that he is not a Sigma!)
Morgan Freeman, actor
Malik Yoba, actor*
Joe Sample, musician
Carol Gordon, actor (???Roc??? series)
Maurice and Verdine White, Earth, Wind and Fire
Larry Blackmon, Cameo
Rick James, Funk R & B artist (there is a Sigma named Rick James who won Star Search some years ago)
Morris Chestnut, actor*
Nelson Mandela, South African President*
The Marsalis brothers (their father is a Sigma)*
Scottie Pippen, NBA
Quincy Jones, musician*
Hill Harper, actor
Montel Williams, T.V. talk show host (his father is a Sigma)*
Roy Ayers, musician
Ralph Sampson, NBA
This list is not exclusive and points will be awarded to any (6) names listed.
* The following men were voted and approved by the brotherhood at a Conclave for honorary membership into Phi Beta Sigma, but an induction ceremony was never held.
5. Which two Sigma brothers performed in two different productions of “Porgy and Bess????
Bro. Clarence Muse and Bro. Lawrence Winters
6. Name the members of the Temptations that are members of Phi Beta Sigma.
Bros. Richard Street, Louis Price, Glenn Leonard, Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin
7. What is the name of the chapter located in Lagos, Nigeria and Honolulu, Hawaii?
Eta Gamma Chapter in Lagos, Nigeria and Zeta Pi Sigma Chapter in Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Name the (6) brothers and the colleges they attended who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they won the Detroit Super Bowl XL in 2006.
#34 RB Verron Haynes from Zeta Nu chapter, Georgia
#16 QB Charlie Batch from Zeta Epsilon, Eastern Michigan
#26 CB Deshea Townsend from Theta Delta, Alabama
#86 WR Hines Ward from Zeta Nu, Georgia
#55 LB Joey Porter from Nu Xi, Colorado State
#27 CB Willie Williams from Pi Mu, Western Carolina
9. What is the name of the law school named after a Sigma and where was it located and which brother was the president?
Judge Bro. Robert H. Terrell
Terrell Law School, Washington DC
President Bro. L. M. Hershaw
10. What is the name of the honorary fraternity that Most Honorable Bro. Leonard F. Morse was a member?
Pi Gamma Mu
11. Which brother succeeded Booker T. Washington as President of Tuskegee Institute?
Bro. Robert Russa Moton
12. Which brother is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and played for the St. Louis Cardinals and was one of the greatest base stealers of all-time and name his undergraduate chapter.
Bro. Lou Brock
Rho Chapter, Southern University
13. What is the name of the brother who was the only Black journalist at the Roosevelt-Churchhill meeting at the Casablanca Conference during War World II?
Bro. Ollie Stewart
14. Which brother was a Brigadier General during World War II and which state and regiment was he enlisted?
Brigadier General Bro. William L. Warfield
Illinois
8th Regiment
15. Which brother founded the Chi Lambda Kappa honorary dental fraternity and where did he attend dental school?
Bro. Judson Emanuel Best
He attended Howard University Dental School
16. Who is regarded as Sigma’s first National Executive Secretary? Where was his office?
Hon. Bro. Lynwood Brown
2009 North Ave Richmond, VA
17. What City was originally proposed as the host city for the 1920 Conclave? What were the original host chapters?
Richmond, VA
Lambda and Iota Sigma chapters
18. What was, arguably, Phi Beta Sigma’s first program? What chapter originated it?
Clean Speech Week
Mu chapter
19. What single-letter chapter consisted (or consists?) solely of college graduates? Where is it located?
Kappa chapter at Meharry College consisted of medical students.
20. What was the name of Hon. Bro. A.W. Mitchell’s retirement estate and where is it located?
Land of 1000 Roses
Petersberg, VA
21. What is the incorporation number for Phi Beta Sigma?
15696
22. The Fraternity Hymn was originally sung to what tune?
Auld Lang Syne
23. Who was the 1st member of the DSC?
Bro. Jesse W. Lewis
24. What cemetery is Founder A. Langston Taylor buried in?
Lincoln Memorial Cemetary. Suitland, MD
25. What Brother initiated the formation of Beta Chapter, Wiley College?
Bro. Herbert L. Stevens
26. Where was the original Tau Chapter?
Simmons University. Louisville, KY
27. Where was the original Chi Chapter?
Roger Williams University. Nashville, TN
28. Where was the original Theta Chapter?
George R. Smith College, Sedalia, MO
29. Who is regarded as the Fraternity’s first national Historian?
Bro. William Sherman Savage
30. How many “rays of light” were on the original Fraternity Shield?
15
31. Which Sigma brother was the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court?
Judge Bro. Charles E. Freeman
32. What is the name of the chapter of Bro. Huey P. Newton’s undergraduate school?
Beta Tau Chapter
33. Who was the first undergraduate brother to serve as National President and when did he serve and which college was he attending at the time?
Bro. Walter M. Clarke
1921-22
Morris Brown College
34. Which chapter was the first established at a racially mixed school, what is the name of the school, who founded the chapter, and what year?
Delta Chapter
Kansas State University
Most Honorable Founder Charles I. Brown
1917
35. Which brother created a new melody (music, not song) for “Our Causes Speeds On Its Way??? and which year did this take place?
Bro. William H. Foster in 1927
36. Which early man of Phi Beta Sigma taught at Garnet High School in Charleston, WV? Among his many students were: the internationally revered Dr. Leon Sullivan, Tony Brown of Tony Brown Journal TV and current Dean of Communications at Hampton University, and renowned Heart Transplant Specialist Dr. John Norman.
Bro. Joseph A. Franklin
37. Which early man of Phi Beta Sigma died of an asthma attack in 1943 while on his way to work?
Bro. Samuel P. Massie
38. Which early brother of Sigma was known for his argyle socks and driving Packards?
Bro. I.L. Scruggs
39. When this charter member entered a building, he would always run up the steps, he said it was good for the heart. Name this brother?
Bro. I.L. Scruggs
40. How many of Founder Morse’s descendants are frat? Name them.
Bro. Leonard F. Morse, Jr.
Bro. Decatur Morse
Bro. Ward Morse
Bro. Charles Morse
Tiebreaker Questions – The following questions will only be scored in the event of a tie:
a. What did the 25th Anniversary Conclave give to Founder Taylor for his service to the fraternity?
Sterling Silver Candle Holders with the inscription Happy Silver Anniversary Bro. Taylor.
b. What did the Alpha Sigma Chapter Brothers of the 1940’s call Founder Taylor and why?
“Prof” short for Professor, because he always had books, files or papers with him.
you can change the EWF! They are frat now!
Karl Malone is actually in one of the old issues of the Crescent magazine. I personally spoke to Olden Polynice twice and he told me Karl is a sigma. They played on the same team. Karl may not claim sigma just like Jerry Rice doesn’t not claim sigma but they are both sigmas. Now, Morris Chestnut is not a sigma. He tried to pledge at cal state northridge but he got cold feet when it was time to go on line. I know this for fact because I was going to be his Dean.
Just like I have always said…someone needs to tell me WHERE and WHEN Karl became a Sigma. Anyone who is Frat that ever went to his college/school says that he didn’t come through there.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Mallet
I think Patrick McFall may be the most reliable sounding source of info on the Malone/Chestnut controversy since I know for a fact that Chestnut went to CSUN and Polyniece does know Malone. However, Polyniece never played for the Jazz or Lakers where Malone spent all of his years, except Plyniece did do a little time with the Clippers, meaning he shared a city with Malone but not a team.
Wassup, Mallet. Good to see you alive and well.
I spoke with Karl Malone personally once when I met him after a game in Milwaukee many years ago. I specifically asked him if he was a SIGMA,and his answer was No! Don’t know if he was lying intentionally to blow me off, but can’t understand why any Brother would not claim Brotherhood in such a great Fraternity. I was made in Delta Phi chapter @ MVSU when Rice and Totten were there. Rice is a proud SIGMA MAN and I’ve never known him to deny he was a Sigma!
Read through that quiz – learned a lot! One thing about the “FAMOUS BROS” who aren’t Sigmas section: there is photographic evidence of Malik Yoba’s induction. He’s pictured wearing his white carnation along with other members of Sigma and Zeta. With the internet being what it is (unreliable), if you truly wanted to know the answers to the questions of who is and who isn’t (Malone, et al), simply contact international HQ as they would have records of those who’ve crossed, especially if they are honorary.
Slight correction here. Malik Yoba is now an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He was initiated in 2009 thru my chapter [Epsilon Sigma chapter] in Harlem, NYC.
WHO WAS OUR FIRST HONORARY MEMBER INDUCTED IN OUR GREAT FRATERNITY?
BRO. OC MILES
AEA CHAPTER
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
The first honorary brothers were initiated on March 8th, 1915 at the Sigma House (1907 3rd ST NE Washington, DC).
They were:
Bro. Edward P. Davis: German language scholar, later Dean of Howard’s College of Liberal Arts
Bro. Thomas Wyatt Turner: Nationally known botanist, 1st African American to win the Ph.D. in Botany, later the head of the Department of Botany at Hampton Institute
T. Montgomery Gregory: Author, play director, played key role in opening up officer training to qualified African Americans during WWI
Bro. Alain Leroy Locke: 1st African American Rhodes Scholar, author, philosopher, critic
Make that 1907 3rd ST NW, not NE…
Our cause speeds on it’s way. GOMAB BRUHS.
Has Mandela ever formally recognized his honorary membership in PBS?
No…because he’s not an honorary (or any other kind of member) of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Great stuff brothers. I love reading and refreshing myself on the history of this illustrious organization. However, I must add one question to this test. What man od Sigma is one of only 2 black men to every appear on US currency? Answer: G.W. Carver, he shared the half dollar with B. T. Washington on the coins minted between 1951-1954. While he had a litany of other accomplishments this one is overlooked. Black man on money in the US…that’s huge. #GOMAB #alwaysinthemix
Chesnut was on doug stewart show last week, and confirmed that he is not frat but he went to a smoker in college.
GOMAB
I heard Morris Chestnut on the radio as well state that he is not a Sigma and that he only went to an interest meeting/smoker so, for the life of me, since he knows this information is out there publicly on his Bio in several different places (pervasively so), and not on our fraternity website, list or line-up, etc., I do not understand why he or his publicist has not had the information removed .. to me, this is a disservice to our fraternity especially when he is repeatedly approached and responds accordingly…..anybody care to respond?
Bro. Day. The question of Morris Chestnut has been discussed to death and we all know about the recent radio appearance you note. We really have no idea why he wouldn’t spend the time to track down the webmaster for every single website that lists misinformation and ask them to update it. Let’s put this one to rest.